


We'll Meet Again At The November Ocean

by PrincessCar



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe- France, Angst, Art, Fluff and Angst, French Revolution, Historical, Homophobia, M/M, Paris (City), The romanticism, i dont know if this is historical correct, naked paintings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 21:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29160738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessCar/pseuds/PrincessCar
Summary: 1844-1848 French romanticism AU
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Comments: 12
Kudos: 14





	1. The Begining

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know if things are historically correct.
> 
> I just wanted to make romanticism Au.  
> also, this is extremely cheesy with the whole "With love we can do anything". type of sh!t. so yeah, you are warned.
> 
> enjoy <3

It wasn’t Keijis’s first time in Paris, Paris in the '40s still had narrow and jammed streets, it's a dark and semi-medieval dirty city, though some parts of the city were nice like the boulevards with gas lamps and quays of the Seine were clean and spacious, it still felt strange for him to live here. looking 11 months back he could never have imagined fleeing his family, to live with The Love Of His Life. Now being barely a bourgeoisie, living in the filthy and poor part of the city.

“Do you like it?”

Bokuto said, hugging him from behind. Keiji moved his head to kiss the man standing behind him. It was a soft sweet kiss, just like the many others they had shared the past year. He then moved his head to look forward. They stood on a small balcony, the view from their tiny apartment was the type of view, where the balcony was built up against another building, so they could look directly into their neighbor’s window. Under them was the street, and to their left, they could see an old church, so the view wasn’t breathtaking but it was still beautiful. It was nothing compared to the view Keiji had from his old room in Bordeaux, which was bigger than their apartment alone. But the worsen view and crowded apartment was enough for the two of them, and they were going to make it work, as long as Bokuto was by his side, he would never care to complain. 

“I absolutely adore it,” he said in a whisper while still staring out the balcony, looking at ant-looking humans walking along the street minding their own lives. Keiji could feel Bokuto smiling behind him, still clinging onto him with his hands around his waist. “I was wondering if you wanted to, go to the tavern down by the corner tonight….It would be nice to socialize a bit” Instead of answering properly, Keiji nodded, letting his husband know his answer was yes.

“Cool, we should bring my painting from parc Bordelais, and sell it, I’m sure someone will love it,” Bokuto said energetically, still hugging Keiji from behind. Keiji turned around to look at Bokuto, squinting his eyebrows. He loved Bokuto, but sometimes he couldn’t understand him, sure selling the beautiful picture from his hometown sounded logical considering their desperate need for money, but you would have to be an idiot looking at that picture, and not think of something slightly sinful like homosexuality, as the painting was of Keiji himself, sitting half-naked, at night with red cheeks under an apple-tree with the moonlight shining above him. “You can’t be serious, Ko, take the one from the train ride, I think it more suitable.” Being hunted for their love had just stopped, he wasn't about to start that nightmare all over again.

“Are you sure, I think it’s a bit boring, maybe we cou-” 

“Please, don’t sell the Bordelais, it’s important to me” Keiji lied, interrupting Bokuto.

“Sure anything for you my love,” Bokuto said as he leaned in to kiss Keiji on the lips.

  
  


One Sunday morning he woke up to the sound of rain pouring from the sky. He loved Sundays, and he loved Sundays, even more, when the rain was locking him and Bokuto inside their tiny apartment. Usually, Bokuto wouldn't paint on Sundays which meant they could spend the entire day together. That usually resulted in listening to Bokuto talk non-stop for hours, talking about symbolism and the meaning of the color in his paintings, other times he would talk about the silliest things, like weirdly shaped pebble he saw the day before, or the weird dreams he had had through his life. Though this morning Keiji woke up alone in the bed. It took him some time to come to his senses. Slowly he realized that Bokuto wasn’t even in the apartment. Normally he would be painting, making breakfast, or just staring at Keiji. He didn't have to wait time to actually register Bokutos missing. Because only a few seconds later the door opened, and there Bokuto was, soaking wet. The first thing he did was to look at Keiji and frowned. HE frowned. 

“You’re up early,” He said with now a fake smile.

“That i am” Keiji replied

“I missed your warmth,” he said shortly after.

Bokuto smiled. One of the real smiles, those smiles Keiji loved with his entire existence, the only light he ever needed to guide him through the darkness. That and Bokuto's entertaining and loving personality was what made him run away from his safe life in Bordeaux, to live with a broke painter.

“Let me change, and i will come join” 

Bokuto laid down next to Keiji, none of them talked about what Bokuto was doing so early in the morning outside in the rain without Keij knowing. They just cuddled up and enjoyed the sound of the rain outside and the warmth of their duvet.

  
  


\--

Keiji was used to people doing everything for him, and never having to lift a finger. He thought that would’ve changed when he moved in with a poor foreigner, he was wrong though, Bokuto never let him work, despise them nearly starving while Bokuto also having trouble affording new paint, and selling his paintings to a reusable price. Keiji despised, waiting for Bokuto to starve himself to death because he knew that the day they ran out of money, that Bokuto would force himself to starve without telling Keiji. There was nothing he could do. He had no talents, the only thing he really knew how to do, was loving his Husband endlessly, but in this life that wasn’t enough. He could never return to his wealthy family, not that he wanted to, but he still hated himself for being selfish enough to let Bokuto charm him, and move away with him, sparking the beginning of the end unless some miracle happens and some crazy rich man sees the beauty in Bokuto's painting and donates his entire wealth to support Bokuto, but life wasn’t like that, and Keiji knew that. That's why he was now walking down the street heading towards the tavern he and Bokuto went to their first night in Paris. 

“Hello Akaashi, what do I owe this pleasure” The owner of the tavern, Osamu Miya said.

Osamu was his first official friend in Paris. The very first night they met, he knew he could trust Osamu with all his deepest and darkest secrets. On top of that, Osamu wasn’t a horrible person to be around and his food was amazing. 

Keiji smiled at Osamu trying his best to look like he hadn’t eaten the past couple of days.

“Goodday Osamu, how are you feeling?” Osamu smirked at Keijis’s question. 

“You are not trying to charm me into giving free food are you,” He said, still smirking while cleaning a beer glass.

Keiji was about to deny Osamu, hoping their friendship wasn’t one-sided, but that was when he realized Osamu was joking, just like Bokuto likes to do. “You know me too well,” Keiji replied. Osamu sighed, still smiling. good, he thought, smiling meant he wasn’t annoyed or mad, yet. “No, but why are you really here, it’s not even dark outside yet, and I have never seen you without your other half,” Osamu said, interrupting the silence. Uh right. he wasn’t here to chit-chat, he was here, about to beg for a job, something he never could have imagined in a thousand years, but here he was. “I was wondering. if uhm -I’m -I could “ He paused taking a deep breath. “If you needed someone to help you keep this place in order”.

Osamu laughed, “That’s why you were so nervous? I thought you had killed someone and needed help burying the body. Of course, you can work here Akaashi, i would love to have you working here”

Now it was settled that Keiji had gotten his first job. It wasn’t the highest paying job, hardly 2 francs a day, though Osamu was kind enough to pay for a tiny meal, at the end of the day.

\---

“You got a job,” Bokuto yelled, loud enough for the entire building to hear his voice.

“What were you thinking, do you not think i can provide for us”? Keiji knew telling about his job was a bad idea, but the thought of lying to Bokuto made him sick. He hated Bokuto screaming at him, it was the first time he had seen him upset like this. That’s why he hated himself for saying

“No, I don’t think you can”- “We’re both starving, while i just sit here, at home, being forced to watch.” He said loudly enough to let Bokuto know he was angry. 

“BUT I PROMISED” he looked at Keiji with tears in his eyes, and it broke Keiji-” I promised to take care of you''. He whispered the rest.

“I know you did, but not alone, we are in this together remember, we’re married,” Keiji said while moving towards Bokuto to hug him. 

“As long as you continue to love me, then you have done everything i could ever wish for”

Bokuto looked into Keijis’s eyes. With love, Thank you . He worded soundlessly with his mouth, hugging Keiji tighter. 

They fell asleep hugging each other.

  
  



	2. Love In The Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> -First meeting-

**14 months earlier**

The spring had ceased a few weeks ago, and now the outside world was possessed by the early summer heat. July is a beautiful month, especially for quiet walks along the lakes of the village. And that was what Keiji did this July day. He had been busy all winter studying, and helping his father with his business. Which consisted of a lot of paperwork and mathematics. So a walk in the beautiful Parc Riviere was well deserved, or at least that was what he thought.

The Sun was shining right above him, making the shadows seem invisible under the many flowers and trees. At the time there was barely a cloud in the naked sky, only a couple of cotton ones that seemed unharmful, even weirdly appetizing, and untouchable. Keiji loved the sky, the peaceful and calming sky, an endless surface of blue heavenly freedom. He could stare at it for hours. Because when he did, time seemed to go by faster, he would stop overthinking, and forget all the other minor issues that were bothering him, like him being good enough and useful, the thought of his father hating him, or him being disappointed in Keiji. Those thoughts haunted Keiji’s mind all day and night. Just overthinking was what his mother called it. But ‘just overthinking’ doesn’t make you want to choke on your spoon, do it? 

he’s a failure.

So yes, the sky was one of the only remaining enjoyments he had left in life. No matter the time of the day, or whether he would stare at the sky all day, something so utterly beautiful, and dream of a life in the sky, like a bird, to be exact a falcon. A falcon or an owl. The fast and dangerous peregrine falcon, or the beautiful brave great horned owl, with big smart yellow eyes. The people of the sky, clueless living beings, with the programmed thought of survival and repopulation. He could only feel jealousy towards the birds. So the sky and summer were easily his favorite things, but summer was a whole package of its own, like the humming of the bees, and the direct sunlight, that his body hungered for all night. Sometimes he would sneak out at night, and go to the park under the juniper-blue night sky, and sit by the Amaranthine water, with the soft silk grass beneath him and stick his feet into the cold water. Enjoying the sensation of the water hugging his feet, with the calming smell of the lake, a smell I couldn't describe but could recognize in seconds, the smell of home and fading summer. This routine was a ritual he had done every summer since he was 6. Sometimes in the winter too. When he was younger he would imagine star-like magical creatures walking out from the shadows, entertaining him, they were his first and only real friends. Now all he could imagine was slipping into the deep bottomless lake, and his lungs slowly being filled with the beautiful enchanting crystal water. Sinking slowly and peacefully into the water, looking up at the surface, and seeing the sky one last time, where the stars would shine bright and gracefully back at him. But that was only his imagination because if he fell into the lake and died, he would be considered an outcast, a loser, someone his family would forget and give up on. Would they even care to find his lifeless body?

As Keiji was walking and mindlessly observed by the heaven above him he crashed into something, or rather someone.

shit

He ended up laying on the grass, covered in what felt like thick sticky wet glue. 

he kept his head staring down onto the grass, only because he knew that if he turned around he would look straight up into someone’s eyes, and he wasn’t looking forward to that embarrassing feeling, so instead, he just kept laying down in the grass looking into the ground under him, he wished he could turn into a falcon, so he could fly up into the anhydrite sky, flying away from reality and responsibilities.

“You aren’t dead are you”? The voice above him said. He was only an earthbound human. This he can’t escape with wings.

It was the voice of a young man, probably in his twenties. His dialect was kinda off, making it sound like he was from the north, maybe even from south Germany. 

Before Keiji got the chance to answer. He felt the man moving beside him. Laying down in the grass next to him.

and that was when Keiji finally gathered enough courage to turn around and face the man, that was now lying next to him, on his left. 

At first, he thought the man was elderly because of his hair, but he soon realized that the features of his face were tight and sharp. “So you aren’t dead, thank god” He whispered. The man turned around to lock eyes with Keiji. The man had the weirdest eye color Keiji had ever seen. They were yellow, like a cat, or yellow as in golden liquid honey. Weird. 

The man broke their eye-contact by turning his gaze upwards. Keiji kept staring at his side profile. His lashes were the same weird color as his hair, his nose was formed like a triangle, and his jaw looked like it could cut cheese.

“I get why you were so distracted, the sky is really beautiful today, that’s why i decided to paint it,” The man said in his non-french accent. 

Paint it? 

Keiji lifted himself up on his elbows.

  
  


He was covered in paint, especially green, a light pastel green. He looked around and saw what looked like a crime scene. He had bumped into an easel with a canvas on. 

“I’m sorry,” Keji said with his most humble and shy voice, it almost came out as a cry.

“So you can talk, I thought the cat hat got your tongue for a sec” The man laughed at what he said. a loud energetic laugh that came from the bottom of his lungs.

idiot 

He moved his gaze upon the man again, who was no longer laying on the grass, he was now standing above Keiji again, offering him a hand, which Keiji ignored and stood up by himself, keeping eye-contact.

“Koutarou, that's me Koutarou Bokuto,” The man said while bowing.

Stupid 

Keiji turned to look at the canvas he had knocked. It was almost finished he thought. It was an exact capturing of the sky above him, and the little tower that was next to him. What a stupid thing to paint. It was nothing like the paintings he had at home. The many many many family portraits of his ancestors with white curly hair, and snowflake almost transparent porcelain skin. He was going to get painted one day, and just like his ancestors he was going to look like a doll, forced to sit with a straight spine, and those silly ugly wigs. The only landscape painting they had in their house was a painting of a battlefield, which hung in his parent’s bedroom. That’s why he thought it was weird to paint the sky so casually with no meaning, only the captured moment of the current summer beauty.

That’s why he said

“It's a stupid painting, it doesn’t make sense to paint something that will be here again tomorrow. And your accent is weird, newcomer” He avoided those golden eyes, now staring towards him with an expression he didn’t dare to imagine.

“EEEHHH WHAT!!! NO, it’s NOT STUPID YOU ARE”

He paused for a second, they stared at each other for a while, letting the quiet humming from the bees and the noise of the village behind them overtake the silence.

“I don’t care about what you think of me being Belgian, but don’t talk badly of my painting, when you don’t know what you are talking about.” 

Belgian, so he wasn’t German, he was still from somewhere North, just Belgian. 

Bokuto moved to pick up the canvas that was still laying on the grass. He gestured for Keiji to sit down again, which he automatically did, and Bokuto sat down next to him.

“Painting nature is my favorite thing. You might think it’s just a painting of this tower and the boring cloudless sky, but there’s always more to things than what you think,” he said smirking.

“What color is the most dominant in this painting”? Bokuto asked, looking at the painting in his hands.

Keiji looked at the painting, blue, blue from the sky, but then again the grass was more interesting, and immediately captured his eye.

“Green”

“Eeeeh, wrong,” Bokuto said, and the way he said it annoyed Keiji.

“It’s not blue neither, it’s red”

  
  
  


“Are you stupid, there’s no r-” That was when he saw it, when he gazed at the painting with unfocused eyes, the green, brown and the slight yellowish tone from the Sun turned into a light simple warm red color. Making the summer look even more warm and loving.

“Your right, it’s red”

  
  


“HAHAHA, THAT’S RIGHT,” Bokuto said loud enough for everyone else in the park looking towards the two boys. 

“It’s still stupid”. He hated himself for feeling so stubborn and biased. But Bokutos’s way of talking just triggered him.

“NOOO! Whyyyi would you say thaat, you’re truly hurting my feelings clumsy stranger” Bokuto said as he fake cried.

“The red color has meaning, you know that right, also what’s wrong with painting the nature, it's beautiful, and it's the only thing I’m good at”

The only thing he’s good at…. Keiji immediately regretted his unnecessary rudeness towards the stranger, that had only been nice to him, even though he had knocked over his easel and wasted a lot of his paint. It’s selfish to keep hating on his painting, when in reality it's the most beautiful piece of art, he has ever laid his eyes on. 

“I’m sorry for being narrow-minded Bokuto, I truly am, also your painting is really beautiful….-I would like to purchase it when you’re finished with it.” 

Bokuto laughed at what Keiji said.

“That took a lot of your pride, right.-” he handed Keiji the painting -” You can have it for free though. Only if you come back tomorrow, so i can tell you a bit more about modern art.”

  
  


“Sure, thank you for your kindness” 

“No problem, I’m just glad you think it’s beautiful and not stupid”. He smirked 

Childish and easy to read. 

That was Keiji’s first impression of the man he met in a park one July summer day when the sun sparkled and the sky was as clear.

**December 3th 1846**

Their first winter in Paris. 

It was cold, the coldest Keiji had ever felt and his stomach bloated from hunger. Bokuto had tried saving up to heat the apartment during winter, but they had ended up wasting the spare money on stupid meaningless dates, and now Keiji was freezing under the covers of their duvet. Today Bokuto was at the Salon de Paris for the first time, so of course Keiji had to spend this lonely freezing December day by himself. His finger hat turned numb and red, maybe they had already fallen off in the cold, he wouldn’t know. France wasn’t this cold? He wouldn’t know because of the life he used to live.

A few hours later Bokuto sparks the door open.

“KEEIIIIJII”

He shouted while sprinting towards the bed, jumping into the bed straddling Keiji with his arms. 

He didn’t return with any paintings today. 

  
  
  


“I SOLD OUT, WE ARE RICH.”

  
  


Rich, you mean we can afford life another 3 weeks. 

  
  


“I’m so happy someone likes your wonderful art too”.

“EEEEh Keiji thinks my art is wonderful!!!! I’m so happy”

  
  


Keiji smiled kissing Bokuto on his forehead, So stupid. 

“Me too Kou.”

**5th December 1846**

  
  


“Let’s have dinner tonight, let’s forget about being broke for the next few hours, I want you to order all the food you want, get drunk on expensive wine, and let me make love to you all night.”

“I’m not a prostitute Kou, you don’t have to buy me. I’m already yours.”

“ARGH, Kasshi, don't be so boring, i want to celebrate your birthday and have fun.”

  
  


“We can’t even afford proper wine, it’s not worth it”

“PLEEEAS, plz plz plz” Bokuto begged turning towards Keiji, with his big Bambi honey eye expression.

“Sure”.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danish grammar and English can be a bit different at times, so if something doesn't make sense, plz tell me.
> 
> Anyways i hope you enjoyed it. I will start the actual plot of the story next chapter. <3


	3. Ildfluernes Sø

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "maybe you truly are a prince”.

Koutarou was so childish at times, and other times he could be way too kind. 

But he was Keiji's pillar of strength, and he was his. That’s how they fell in love.

**10th February 1847**

Today the sun was shining, even though the ground was frozen and last night’s rain was laying all over the streets in a solid white form. The sky on the other hand could easily trick you into thinking it was summer. Light blue and no hint of greyness. 

Keiji was out of the apartment for the day to give Koutarou some peace to paint (or to give himself some peace) He didn’t really know. Keiji Akaashi was not a jealous person. He loved and cherished whatever he was given. Until he saw some stranger in a park. Now everything was never enough now. Especially when the love of his life decided that him being his "muse" wasn’t enough. That’s how Keiji ended up on the streets this sunny winter day, with his husband back home in their apartment, painting and observing naked prostitutes from the streets of Paris. Those girls who always stood under the enchanting gas lamps, searching for someone horny enough to pay for their presence. Those girls were the sweetest, to be honest. Keiji loved talking with them, that’s why he hated them for being around Kou. Girls with beautiful skinny bodies, wonderful smiles, and charming flirtatious personalities. Everything he wasn't. They had been trained, by the streets to lure innocent men in bed with them. 

  
  


“Long time no see, Gaudin.” Keiji flinched at that awful voice, and that name being used for the first time since he left his childhood. He turned around to look at the lady that was standing behind him.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again mademoiselle Claudine". 

“Oh too formal, you have always been so innocent and polite”

Keiji nodded.

Claudine La Cour. A single ugly friend of his mother. Keiji basically grew up to Claudine trying to take care of him, as an extra mother, whenever Keijis own mother had been out of town, or just passed out by alcohol.

“How are you feeling”? Keiji asked, clearly uninterested in looking at the woman.

“Quite well, I’m actually getting engaged soon, come let’s sit down and talk” Claudine gestured for Keiji to sit down on a bench next to her.

_I feel sorry for whoever you are marrying._

“Congratulations, I wish you the best”. 

_Not really_

“Thank you Gaudine”. 

Keiji paused, he really wasn’t used to that name.

“I would rather not be called that, It’s Akaashi, and now Bokuto.”

  
  


Keiji looked at Claudine sitting next to him. She used to be young like his mother. Now she had wrinkles and her hair had been sucked lifeless. She was sitting in a big purple dress, with a tiny umbrella in her hand. Without the money, she would have looked like one of those hopeless beggars down the poorer streets. Ugly both on the inside and the outside.

“I have always hated calling you Akaashi, Gaudine suits you. We all thought that the first time we saw you-” She paused trying to create eye-contact with Keiji, which she succeeded in. Her eyes were a blant color of blue, boring cold blue.

-” But i guess that doesn’t really suit you anymore, even if you decide to go back to your father’s name, they don’t deserve you.” she said as she smirked.

_This evil chienne_

“You are right, Gaudine doesn’t fit me anymore-”

_Sucking my husband dick does_

-” Bokuto fits me so nicely, so i don’t need it anyway”

Claudine’s facial expression turned into something Keiji had never seen before, and he really enjoyed it.

“You bastard! how dare you betray your family like that, you have tarnished your family name, devil, the devil has eaten you and turned you into a filthy manslut whore.”

“Your husband is probably sleeping with another slut at this very moment”.

Keiji’s blood was boiling, Bokuto would never cheat on him. He kept his facial expression natural as he walked away from Claudine. Lately, Keiji hadn’t been overthinking like he used to before he met Bokuto, but he knew if he kept talking with Claudine he would be back to his anxiety-filled thoughts in no time.

Claudine won, but he didn’t care what she thought of him, he never really did.

_Let others doubt, I know the universe is big enough to contain all our dreams._

As he was walking back towards their apartment, Keiji noticed the streets were more filled than usual. It was getting darker, and people stood with touches in small crowds. The city was changing once again. Small riots were occurring more and more often, even now in the cold. They had every right to be angry with the king. He just hoped that it won't turn out to be as violent, as it was in 1799, because that meant people would probably target his family for using the poor as cheap labor.

Keiji walked up the stairs to their apartment. He stood outside the door. Thinking. He could smell the earthy smell of mold from the walls. It didn’t always smell like that, but when it got colder the smell just kinda showed up out of nowhere. 

As Keiji stood outside the door with his hand on the door handle, he couldn't make himself open the door.

 _He would never betray me like that. He loves you. You are enough for him. Those paintings are only for his customers, not him. I’m his real lover._ Keiji hated himself for thinking lowly of Koutarou. 

Kou had given him his everything, still, Keiji was always judging him whenever he hugged a friend. Or when he was too kind. Which happened a lot. When they first moved to Paris, Kou almost gave away all of his art, to strangers, just because he wanted to be nice and friendly. That part of his lover will Keiji never understand, but he loved it. He loved Kou’s endless stupid kindness. 

He opened the door.

“Keijiii your home, i thought something had happened”. Koutarou said immediately as Keiji stepped into the apartment. Two women were laying on their bed, not naked but way too undressed for Keijis’s liking. “Sorry I ran into someone”.

“It’s okay, you are here now” Koutaruo mumbled as he moved towards Keiji to kiss him. “I missed you,” He said. It had only been 4 hours since Keiji went outside. But it probably felt like a whole day since the days in the winter are shorter and colder. Colder, that’s how Keiji felt whenever Koutarou disappeared outside for a few hours. Every minute felt longer in the winter. “Ladies this is my beautiful husband, isn’t he charming?”. Kou was hugging Keiji while resting his head on top of Keiji’s. 

“You’re right, Koutarou, he's just as beautiful in real life as in your paintings”. 

Keiji turned his head to look at the woman talking on the bed. She was gorgeous. Not the type of beauty you see in the noble. She had those dark black eyes and filthy messy hair. Her arms and face were tanned, while her torso was pearl white. Probably a farmer. 

The woman next to her had red caramel hair, her face was filled with tiny brown freckles. Unlike the other, her entire body was pale and without doubt extremely fragile. They were both beautiful, and he understood why Kou had decided to paint them. 

They all ended up having dinner together. It was fun. The girls were lively. They told stories of their life and so did Kou. Keiji just listened. He couldn’t remember the last time it hadn’t just been him and Kou alone in a cold world. Most people judged the two boys and called them many awful and sinful names. Keiji was used to the hateful comments by now. But it always affected Kou. A lot. He would get all moody, and cry dry cries on Keiji’s shoulder at night. He was the most vulnerable when it came to what other people thought of him. 

**1844 July**

“YOU CAME” Bokuto shouted. Of course, he came. He promised that he would. A simple payment for a beautiful painting. He agreed to meet him again, behind some trees, at the same park they met the day before. The clearing wasn’t that special; there were a few rocks and nothing else except a blanket, where Bokuto stood waving at Keiji. The area was completely concealed from the public. Surrounded by Eden-green towers of trees. Bokuto could easily get away with murder here. Still, Keiji had an unpleasant trust towards the stranger.

The outside world was just like yesterday, the weather was insufferably hot, the endless blue sky was the same, The only exception was the flowers steaming in the morning mist tilting slightly by the calm breeze of the wind howling through the opening in the trees. 

Bokuto was gesturing for Keiji to come sit next to him on the blanket. And so he did.

“It’s nothing much, i can’t really afford much food lately, but i still tried”. Keiji was confused by what Bokuto meant until he saw the little basket next to Bokuto. It was a Picnic. Keiji could feel his cheeks fluster. “Y-you didn’t have to do this”. Keiji said, looking at Bokuto. 

“NOOooh, It’s okay, i just wanted to feed you”. Bokuto said with a smile. “Here take some bread”. The Bread was tasteless and dry, Bokuto seemed to enjoy it, that’s why Keiji tried to look pleased by the bread too. 

“Did you study for today”? Bokuto said, looking at the neon-blue sky above them. 

“Study?”. 

“ARGHH KEijiii YOU were supposed to studyy, for today’s art lesson”. ...Art lesson… 

“Sorry”. He had forgotten that Bokuto wanted to teach him about his art. That the entire idea of meeting Bokuto again was to talk and learn, just that.

“OH, don’t worry, i was just messing with ya”. 

Bokuto started talking about symbolism and his favorite artists.

“Painting is really really really fun, especially when the colors match like a ZUBAMMMM, and when something doesn’t add up it’s really annoying, like bashhhh. That’s why i think it’s fun to do something unexpected, like POOF, or, like SHA-PING”. Bokuto was waving his hands around in sync with the many sound effects. It made Keiji giggle. Bokuto’s immaturity was definitely entertaining. You could compare him to a stare, a really bright one. A bright star, like Sirius. The dog star.

Bokuto kept talking like that for a while. Keiji couldn’t help but, just sit and listen to Bokuto talk. 

\---

“Wow, time really does fly by when you’re having fun”. Bokuto said interrupting himself.

Bokuto looked upwards. And so did Keiji. “The sun is setting” 

The sky had turned from blue to orange in what felt like seconds. “I really don’t wanna go back,” Keiji said. It was probably his first real sentence for hours besides “Mhmf” and “aah”. Bokuto, who was laying down on the blanket, he moved his head to look at Keiji. He didn’t say anything for a while, he just stared and Keiji stared right back at him. 

“Your eyes are blue Kaashi”. He moved into a seating position right in front of Keiji. His gaze had turned into an investigative stare. Which resulted in Keiji freezing staring right back at Bokuto.

“I can see the ocean behind your eyes. But not like the blue turquoise summer ocean, it’s more like the angry raging November ocean at the end of autumn”-.....-” I see the waves, I can almost smell the beach”.

If Keiji has never been more embarrassed. His cheeks were differently burning red.

“AHH sorry, i didn’t mean to offend you” 

_You didn’t offend me_

Keiji nodded at Bokuto, still staring at him. It was silent, so painfully quiet. The birds had been singing all day, now finally letting the two boys sit alone in their own world. 

“Can we please meet again tomor-”.

“Yes!” Keiji said, interrupting Bokuto. “Tomorrow evening please”.

**\---**

Keiji waited at the clearing the next day. He had actually waited all day to escape work, to sit and talk with his new friend. Bokuto was late. As it was growing darker he came running towards Keiji, hugging his legs. “Please forgive me for being late”. Bokuto sounded pained and regretful. He smelled. And his skin was slightly red and moist from his own sweat.

“calm down Bokuto, i was late myself, I just got here” He lied while looking down at the man hugging his feet. _Childish_. “You sure”? He said, sounding tormented. “120 percent”. 

They went on a walk together on the leaf-carpeted path by the edge of the park and soon the darkness of the missing sun turned into them having to settle down. They sat down next to a lake, that was hidden from the public. Just like the clearing, it was surrounded by bushes and trees. You could still feel the heat from the day around the lake. There were a mop of bugs and insects swirling around the lake and knee-high grass covering the edges of the lake. Above them, the stars were glittering and shining brightly. The air was pregnant with the smell of rotten seaweed and other plants from the water. The idyllic scene took his breath away, as goosebumps ran down his arm and spine. They sat there close to each other by the edge of the lake. It was heartwarming and Keiji didn’t know if it was the nature or his companion. The quiet humming of the night filled the silence once again. 

Keiji stared down at his reflection in the water. Under him were thousands of tiny stars, some of them moved in the shape of a golden yellowish light, with small wings. Those stars were the only source of light. He used that light to look at his shimmering reflection in the water. He stared at his own face, his cheeks, forehead, eyelids, everything. He noticed how the bridge of his nose was curvier than his father’s, and his lashes were thicker and longer than his sisters. He couldn’t help but think about how well Bokuto’s description of his eyes fit him. And how his own eyes looked happier than usual. 

“Do i smell bad Keiji?” Bokuto asked.

“You have a sharp scent today Bokuto”. 

Bokuto pouted.

“well do you wanna jump in? i don’t think it’s that deep''. Keiji didn’t get any time to answer before Bokuto was removing his shirt. Keiji joined him in removing clothes. As Keiji was carefully removing his pants he heard the surface of the water breaking. The sensation of cold water splashed onto his naked torso. Bokuto was missing from next to him, and his head was now peeking up through the water. Keiji jumped in. The cold water surrounded his body, and he could feel the adrenaline from the jump through. He gasped for air as the water was colder than it felt when he dipped his hand earlier. He gazed at Bokuto who was struggling to keep himself up. “You jumped in, and you can’t even swim,” Keiji said, amused by Bokuto's struggle. “It just looked so tempting, plus you said i smelled”. 

Keiji helped Bokuto find steady ground, By a tiny island slapping through the surface, in the middle of the lake. It surely wasn’t that deep, but Bokuto kept sinking uncontrolled under the water, barely coming back up again. 

Skinny dipping wasn’t something Keiji had imagined himself doing 3 days ago. But now it was one of his favorite things. Bokuto started talking for a few minutes while Keiji floated around in the water, enjoying the sensation of the water hugging his body. “It’s beautiful,” Bokuto said smiling at the stars. “It is,” Keiji said while swimming towards Bokuto. “ Can I paint you someday?” Keiji’s face became flustered and burning once again, something that only Bokuto could make it do. Luckily Bokuto was still staring at the sky. smiling at the stars that were mirrored into his eyes. “I don’t think I would do your art any good”. 

“Don’t worry i can make anything look good, even you”.

_Ouch_

“Sure, just promise me i can have it”. 

“You really like my paintings?” Bokuto said teasingly.

“Yeah, they are beautiful and captivating. I can feel the nature in their beauty”.

“KEIJI” Bokuto shouted as he flung his body towards Keiji to hug him.

They stayed like that for a while. “I promise to make the best painting in the history of art!!!!!”.

  
  


Eventually, Bokuto got too concerned for Keijis’s health and dragged him out of the water.

“I really don’t wanna go back”.

Bokuto looked at Keiji with curiosity. His expression turned into a concerned look.

“I know Akaashi”.

Bokuto patted Keiji on the head “C’mon, you will get a cold”. Bokuto turned around to look at Keiji.

“ OH WAIT AKAASHI I JUST GOT THE MOST GENIUS Of GENIUS IDEAS EVER”.-

-“We can hang out all night, so you don’t have to be sad and grumpy”.

“I’m not sad or grumpy, dumbass”.

“AKAASHI!! please”.

"Okay".

\---

Keiji showed Bokuto the streets he grew up on, and eventually his house. They snuck inside. "It will be fun”. 

Sneaking Bokuto inside his house was probably the dumbest and most unprofessional thing he had done in his entire life. Bokuto started small talk with every servant that Keiji tried to avoid. He even started screaming at the "Horrifying art" On the walls.

\---

“Your room is like humongous Akaashi.”

“It’s actually the smallest bedroom in the house”. 

“NO WAY”. Bokuto said. jumping around in the room, touching everything.” You have your own bathroom, that’s like for royalty Kaashi” Bokuto ran up to Keiji holding his cheeks tightly “Are you a prince Kaashi?”. They both laughed.

“Maybe you’re a princess, Keiji”. 

Keiji lightly slapped Bokuto on the head while giggling. 

He walked towards the window. The sun was slowly rising on the horizon. It was barely a sunset yet. But a few rays of sunlight were reflecting on the smaller rooftops in town. He had spent the entire night with Bokuto, by just talking and running around, his hair was still moist from the lake... It had been a lot of fun, still, it all passed by in seconds. And that’s when Keiji realized that Bokuto was one of his favorite things in life.

The list now consisted of 4 major things:

  1. The sky
  2. Summer
  3. Skinny dipping with a (stranger) at night
  4. A loud dumb artist



Maybe even art.

“Woaw, the sun is already rising”. Bokuto behind Keiji. They stood there together for a while just staring out the window until the silence was broken by Bokuto's stomach growling loud and long. “Oh, I must be hungry, yesterday is a while ago”.

_Yesterday?_

_Oh_

_No!_

“Before you leave i have something for you, wait here” 

Keiji ran out of his room returning a few minutes later, with a basket hanging from his left wrist with a bottle of wine in the other.

He handed Bokuto the basket. He didn’t say a single syllable. He just watched how Bokuto’s eyes started sparkling as he discovered what was in the basket, which was the leftovers from the kitchen. Bokuto aggressively hugged Keiji slightly kissing him on his temple "OH MY KEIJI. THANKS, maybe you truly are a prince”. 

_I am your prince._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear the plot will begin next chapter :P sorry.


	4. Two Volumes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Assault. I will mark it with <>When it begins and ends, so you can skip it.
> 
> This chapter is kinda chaotic and boring. That's why I'm posting later than usual, it's also almost as long as the other 3 chapters.  
> I'm using quotes from:  
> Honoré de Balzac  
> Marceline Desbordes-Valmore  
> And kinda Petrus Borel?  
> Also if there are errors in my writing PLEASE tell me!
> 
> Ps. The next chapter will be dramatic, and the revolution will finally arrive. So enjoy this before the storm ✌️😋

* * *

**January 1848**

“Lay still i want this to be PERFECT”.

_A perfect painting._ Technically something only Koutarou undoubtedly and freely could pull. He had learned through time that it was the minority of painters whose art made him feel the same joy as Kous painting did. Koutarou had been begging Keiji for months to do a painting of him again, which was something Keiji rarely agreed to. It was stupid, they couldn’t sell on Keijis nudes, obviously because Koutarou never seemed to want to part them, except a few times where they had been forced to give away everything in order to survive. Koutarou kept them to treasure them, which made Keijis’s heart flutter and grow wings every time he thought of Kou only keeping the paintings of him. Call it possessive, but he couldn’t help but adore Kou in that way. He loves him so fucking much, it’s unfair. Like how he felt blind before he met Kou, or how the colors of the world seem brighter and prettier whenever they are together, Kou could have been an evil curse, and still, he wouldn’t trade him for anything in the world. Sometimes he wonders how Kou the loving, stupid kind person fell in love with him. He did nothing to deserve his attention, he can’t paint, he doesn’t have any talents, just loving Koutarou Bokuto is the only thing he won’t fail at.

“I can hear you overthinking from over there”.

_He reads me like an open book and cares for me in ways I don’t even do myself._

“I wasn’t overthinking”. 

Koutarou gave him one of those, _you are lying looks_. Which Keiji just laughed at because he looked stupid with half-open eyelids and raised eyebrows. 

“WHAT!?”

Keiji snorted still laughing 

“You look so handsome it’s stupid”. 

“IIIIHHHH, Keiji thinks I’m handsome, mwah”. Koutarou blew a kiss towards Keiji smiling with his entire body.

Koutarou had started to love painting portraits, not just of Keiji, but also of strangers. He even tried painting himself at some point, but instead of a realistic body-type, he gave himself a huge beard and increased muscle mass. Only because he thought it was more fun instead of the real deal. 

But Kou hadn’t always been keen to draw portraits of people, for the longest time Keiji had been the only person he had ever painted. He only liked landscape painting, like German Caspar David Fredrich (who was his _biggest rival!!!!) (he was also very much dead)_ Then when he learned about a Belgian artist not so far from his birth home, Adele Kindt, he immediately fell in love with her art. That’s why he started painting Parisian women from the streets a year ago.

  
  


“I should call this piece The Real God”

“Or My Beautiful Clever Husband Naked In Bed”

  
  


“I’m taking away your right to name your own art”.

Kous favorite part is naming his art and not once has he come up with something slightly decent. 

All of a sudden a melody in a form of heavy violin, comes floating in through the balcony “Music?” 

Koutarou ran towards the sound “Oh Keiji it’s the neighbor playing from the other building”:

Keiji wrapped himself around a shawl, still being naked “Yeah, it’s their daughter Belle, she plays the violin at the theater”. 

The music itself was sad in some way, harmless, and without many tunes. He wondered why she was playing now, out of all time, he had never heard her practice at home before. Belle was a sweet girl, she usually forced Keiji into conversation whenever they met. She asked all kinds of questions. She was fascinated by Him and Koutarous’s relationship. “I want to experience such real raw love one day”. 

While listening to the tunes float through the room, Keiji gripped Koutarous wrist and forced him into his embrace. He slowly started moving his feet intact with the violin’s sweet singing. Koutarou didn’t understand at first, but soon he folded his arm around Keiji and started dancing along. They swayed through the kitchen and bedroom swirling and swinging. Kou even started humming to the music. 

It was like dancing on the fluffy clouds to a piece of heavenly melody. And just like that, they kept dancing even when the sound stopped. They both hummed into the night while holding each other close while slow-dancing. 

\---

Later that same night, the couple went for a walk together at midnight. Keiji was tired of laying still in the bed, and it was too dark for Kou to get Keijis's features right, so a walk at night seemed more tempting than going to sleep. There were no stars in the sky, only the glow from the moon hidden behind the thick clouds. It smelled like piss and beer from the crowded backstreets. The entire trip was more than they both could ask for, it was like wishes being fulfilled. Holding hands in public, kissing in public (Squeezing Ko’s ass in public). All that could happen because it was that time of the day where the lights got blown out, and thousands of eyes close for the night. 

“I’m gonna leave the city for a while, I need inspiration and real mountains”. 

Keiji was leaning against the sides of Koutarou, he looked up, Kou looked concerned. “Sure a mini-vacation, right?” He didn’t answer Keiji. 

…

…

“No”- He swallowed, and his body grew stiff in Keiji’s -” Alone”.

_without me._

Keiji pulled away from his husband. They were standing in the middle of a large boulevard by a water fountain carved and sculpted into what looked like angels surrounded by trees. The city had been so awfully loud lately, it still was, in Koutarous presence, it was never quiet, even when tears were falling down his cheeks. He could still hear the never-ending party when he looked at Koutarou. And for once it went quiet, the loud city and the loud boy had stopped throbbing. In conclusion that left Keiji with the unbearably loud thumping of his own pulse. They were both crying, and for what reason. _Sorry_. Koutarou mimicked soundlessly. Keiji aggressively shook his head. “Why, when, h-how?” 

Koutarou turned his gaze downwards. _Does he hate me? Is he getting tired of me?_

“I need to concentrate on my work, with you I-” He stopped talking as a sop fell from his throat. “I have barely been able to paint lately, and the city is just not inspiring anymore”-

-“Please don’t hate me, my love, I love you”.

_I love you too._

Keiji turned around to avoid looking at Koutarou, he could feel Koutarous eyes on his back. _‘Don’t get lulled into the fire, just because it’s pretty Bokuto’_ Keiji had once told Koutarou after they started going out. He remembers how much Bokuto's answer meant to him back then and still does ‘Even though the fire will burn me, I can’t stop looking at it, so by now i think it’s worth getting burned’. At first, Keiji had laughed at the silly answer, that was up until he realized exactly what Bokuto had meant by that, and he was no longer talking about the candle.

_I got too close to the fire, and now I'm burned all over._

He started walking. Koutarou wasn’t going to follow him. And he didn’t. Soon the boulevard turned into small streets that smelled even worse than before. 

Sensitive and childish were usually Koutarou’s personality traits, not Keijis’s. And running away from his husband just because he wants to leave you for a few weeks to paint, was for sure childish and sensitive. The stupid thing was that he just wanted to run right back into Kous arm and cry with him. Spending some time apart should be nice. Kou would get some alone time to paint, and probably come back and tell him about every single detail. In the meantime, Keiji could maybe go back to Bordeaux to visit his mother (Who had been writing a lot of letters, ever since he met Claudine a while back) His mother didn’t like the idea of him being homosexual, but she hated being apart from her son even more. _The heart of a mother is a deep abyss at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness._

Keiji missed her too. When he was younger he would always sneak into her bed at night and cuddle with her until they both fell asleep. She would also often ‘Kidnap’ Keiji to get him away from his father. He smiled at the fond memory.

It was kinda peaceful. The city at night was quiet, no protesters, no jamming, no pushing, and most importantly the night sky, even though the stars were covered with heavy thick grey clouds, there was still something beautiful about the sight. Once again he wished he could fly away in the shape of a falcon, it would probably be cold and windy up there, he was already freezing down here, where he was sheltered from the wind between the buildings. 

Soon he realized after walking around alone for another hour that he was lost. He had been so busy overthinking and freezing that he had just let his legs carry him somewhere irrelevant. 

_Think Keiji, where are you?_

The streets and roads were wider than before, the buildings looked less dilapidated than before, and the sweet scent of piss had faded, though beer and alcohol were still cutting deep in his nostrils. There had to be an inn or a bar open somewhere.

That’s why he started following the scent of beer. Which led him to a small building among many bigger ones. He stood staring at the inn ‘ _Home Of The hardworking’, what a ridiculous name_. In front of him, he saw a black cat cross the street. The cat stopped for a second to make eye contact and then continued through the streets.

_Even the cat knows its way around_.

<>

 _In Paris, there are two dens, one for murders, and one for thieves._ Keiji thought to himself before entering the inn. It was late at night, yet he could still hear the faint melody of music and laughing. 

The second he opened the door he was greeted with a hug of warmth from the fireplace in the corner of the room, that he was now standing in. He had been in the cold for so long that he had forgotten how frozen he was. As he was slowly thawing a man came up to him. He didn’t recognize him but the man kept staring at him like he was supposed to. 

“H-hi '' Keiji said shyly, feeling obligated to say something, clearly not used to making conversations with strangers. Lately, it had been Kou who would do that, and Keiji would simply just stand by his side. 

He genuinely just wanted to go home and apologize to Koutarou, for being a child and running away.

“Who are you?” The man staring at him said with a grumpy voice... “Keiji Ak-Bokuto”. They stared at each other for a while... “I-i uhm I need instructions for finding uhm… ye- . I’m lost”. Keiji used to be social at the fancy parties his family was invited to, he even had some friends his own age. But stuttering and being on the edge of crying was not something he would have imagined doing right now. More people in the inn had noticed Keiji. They were all extremely drunk and some had lost their ability to stand. Still, two other men had found their way next to the grumpy-looking man's side. The grumpy red-haired one started whispering something to others, they all laughed. “Intertructions you say, or should i say i-in-i in-strutions” The three of them started bursting out laughing. Keiji’s heart dropped. He wasn’t going to get any help from these alcoholics. “Don’t worry princess, follow me, i have a map over the city”. One of them said and started walking to the side of the 

_I need to get out of here_

“Have a beer you look so tense, relax”. 

_No, please_

The men pushed Keiji down into a booth. The wooden seats were sticky and smelled like vomit and beer. “Here on the house, it’s the best beer in all of Paris,” one of them said. All 3 of them were ugly and vile-looking men. One had big wild eyes, another was bald halfway around the top of his head, and the grumpy one had red thin hair with big shoulders. “Soo Keiji, what are you doing out this late, did you run away from mom?” The one with the eyes yelled, through the music. Keiji didn’t respond. He wanted to let the men know how uncomfortable he was. Soon the music faded and they were the only people left in the inn. Baptize the grumpy ginger owned the place, ‘so they could stay till dawn’. They were all fun men, kinda alarming and scary. They had all been drinking, even Keiji. So the three of them had flushed faces and were drunk enough to become slightly unstrained. Just the fact that Thomas the half-bald one, kept placing his hand on Keiji’s thigh for the past hour and the weird questions like “What are you really doing out here?”, “You must be married”.

“You should come to see the rest of the building Keiji. I have a map over the road system, if you would like it, i can show you.” Keiji followed the bar owner inside the actual building. He knew something was off. _Why would a bar owner have a map of the roads?_ Behind the first door was a storage room filled with crates and ballows. It was messy and unorganized. Osamu’s bar that Keiji still worked at, was way cleaner and had an actual system.

The others had followed, and now they all stood in the storage room staring at Keiji. To his left was a staircase, where the guest of the inn probably slept. Instead of moving towards the staircase, Baptise walked in front of Keiji, blocking the exit and the staircase.

_This doesn’t feel right_

  
  


“Do you like art, Keiji”. Thomas said behind him. They all stared at him waiting for an answer.

“Not really”.

“What a shame, there’s an undeniably talented painter in town, I’m sure his art will inspire you”.

“Yeah what's his name again, Thomas?”. Baptize was also closing in on Keiji, they all were.

_They know._

“I’m pretty sure he goes by the name Bokuto-”. -” Yeah Keiji, have you not heard of him, you have the same last name”.

“No”.

“Don’t fucking lie”.

“The newcomers of this city really think they own the place, hating on our hardworking king, and disrespecting mother nature.”

Behind him, Thomas grabbed Keiji’s shoulder and held him to the ground, so he couldn't move. Baptises who stood above him clearly drunk started kicking him, the kicks were mostly harmless and restrained because of their intoxinatedness. Keiji didn’t even bother to resist, He had expected this to happen at some point. God, he was lucky they were tipsy and didn’t do anything deadly yet.

_Why couldn’t I just have been a falcon, God?_

“Sodomy should have stayed fucking illegal”.

“Mhmp, He's probably turned on right now”.

“Do you like being kicked like this, whore?”

They kept hitting and kicking Keiji and cursing at him for a while, he verily didn’t know how long, but it felt like hours, in reality, it could have been just 5 minutes. The third one, Edward, didn’t do anything, he just stared from the sideline. Edward’s stillness helped Keiji, it helped him focus on making eye contact with him, instead of focusing on the beating.

Baptize and Thomas eventually stopped, but by then Keiji was already soaked in beer that smelled like urine and spit. 

His body was completely sore, and his lips were busted. His head hurt, and his heart was dizzy from the many kicks. When they left the room, Keiji thought it would be his cue to get the fuck away. So he started running. Normally running was something he did with Kou to compete and for playing, but now it felt like if he stopped, he would teleport back to the inn, in the hands of prejudiced ‘Christians’. 

<>  
  


He hated himself. _You useless husband_. All the thoughts started filling his mind as he was running, making the tears on his cheeks stay hydrated and frequent. 

The men didn’t bother to chase Keiji, but he kept running until his lungs felt like they would puncture. At some point he found himself crossing Pont Neuf. The Seinen was frozen under him. Which he had never seen before. As he stood on the bridge the sun was coming back breaking the darkness. The city was slowly waking up. And behind him, the first horse cart drove past him. His cheeks were rosy, pinched by the frost and his fingers were numb. The tears had stopped falling a while ago, mostly because he didn’t want to let the events of the night get to him, but also because it was so cold that if he kept crying his tears would freeze his eyes shut. 

**August 1844**

“You had my heart, and I yours; a heart for a heart, good fortune for good fortune”. Keiji read. Outside the sun was shining and the birds had been at war with singing for hours. 

“Akaashi, your English is almost perfect by now '' Ms. Violet, his English teacher said. She was an old woman from England, despite her huge eyebags and age she was beautiful, extremely pushy, and straightforward. He remembers having the biggest crush on her as a toddler, which was understandable since she was gifted with hella intelligence. “Did you like reading Marceline, she's kinda young and new thinking”. She asked in French. “She has a beautiful perspective on life and love, I look forward to reading more from her in the future”. “Indeed, a talented woman”. 

“Let’s not push ourselves too much, you can enjoy the rest of the by ‘yourself’”.

This was the real reason he liked her so much. She would always give him a lot of spare time, and his English was better than anyone else in the house. His father often asked him for help, when it came to foreign business. 

“Thanks miss, i will have translated the rest of Sarah by next week”.

Keiji said as he rushed out the door. And within seconds he was rushing towards the park he had spent his entire summer in. with who? Only he knew. But he was sure that his constant desire to escape the house hadn’t gone unnoticed by his mother or Violet. “I bet she's a sweet girl” His mother had said teasingly to him the other night. _Sweet girl, if only it was that easy._

Bokuto wasn’t sweet or a girl, he was his best friend. Funny, goofy, and sometimes extremely stupid, yet he was the smartest person Keiji knew. 

On his way towards the park, he quickly went to buy some bread with sugary treats. 

  
  


“Look who's here early, I guess you really missed me,” Bokuto said as stood up to hug Keiji.

“Why would i miss you?”. 

“ARGH KEIJI, don’t tease, that’s rude!”

Bokuto said laughing for whatever reason, Keiji interrupted Bokuto's laughing by throwing a praline in his mouth, that Bokuto almost choked on. 

“Oh God, Keiji you didn’t have to”.

“Don’t worry it’s nothing special”. 

Bokuto grinned and hugged Keiji tightly once more. While he chewed loudly into Keijis's ear.

“Sure, let’s continue, just sit with the book as usual”.

For the past 3 days, Bokuto and Keiji had been meeting not just to talk and go for long walks, a week ago Bokuto began begging Keiji to be his muse. He rejected the idea, but three days ago when Keiji was reading for Bokuto while painting, Koutarou had unannounced started painting on a different canvas. Keiji discovered when it was too late, so he just went along with it and kept reading out loud. 

  
\---

“Can you put this on your shoulder, Keiji?” Bokuto said as he handed Keiji a white half-transparent piece of fabric. “It was my mother’s shawl, I think it would look beautiful on yo- the painting, to get, uhm you know, eh”. Keiji nodded, wrapping the white shawl around his shoulders. The piece of fabric was light, and he could barely feel it. It was like it had been stretched by seraphim.

“Perfect” Bokuto mumbled as he returned towards his spot on the grass. And Keiji returned to reading for Bokuto now with a shawl around his shoulders.

“You know I enjoy spending time with you?”. Keiji was kinda surprised by the sudden comment from Bokuto. Of course, the man never shut up, but sometimes he would lack filters and talk about weird and vulgar things that Keiji had never thought about, but that was why he loved talking and spending time with the painter. Still, when Bokuto was painting he wouldn't talk to Keiji, mostly just himself.

“We match each other so well, like pillars of strength, we are what we need in one another”

Bokuto said clearly aware of how shrewd he had sounded.

“I suppose” Keiji agreed, nodding.

It was true. Bokuto needed someone to boost his confidence and someone who can keep up with his persistence, while Keiji needed a friend, someone to help him get away from his thoughts and his responsibilities. 

“No, Keiji you don’t get it. It’s like you read earlier”. He paused looking at Keiji like he would understand what he was talking about.

Bokuto sighed while crawling towards Keiji under the apple-tree. He picked up the book and without looking at it he continued: 

“Are we not like two volumes of one book?” 

_We are!_

Yet Keiji couldn’t make himself answer the man in front of him.

He left Koutarou unanswered, but it was clear by the silence that he wished for Bokuto to continue his speech. It was confusing. 

“Nevermind I'm not sure if you get where I'm heading”. Bokuto turned his back, ready to walk back to his blanket. 

“No, co-continue, please”. Keiji stuttered as he desperately grabbed Bokuto's wrist. _Please._

“I don’t normally paint people Keiji, it’s only landscaping that attracts my eyes, it's weird and different to paint people, if you don’t know what that means you are denser than I thought”. The conversation ended there, and only a few minutes later, Bokuto left to ‘Hang out with his wonderful friends and get absolutely drunken before sunset’.

If only Keiji didn’t know Bokuto that well. But over the summer he had learned about his friend’s constant mood changes, and this was undoubtedly an excuse to get away from Keiji.

Keiji wanted to stop his friend from walking away. Wanted to make him feel better with a hug and compliment his art. Yet he found himself once again paralyzed and unable to move his mouth or legs. Instead, he just kept sitting under the Fuji apple-tree with Bokuto's shawl. 

As it was growing darker Keiji was in his room reading, but he didn’t really pay attention to what he read and had to reread the entire page because his mind kept drifting away. The thought of Bokuto kept reappearing over and over. “Are we not like two volumes of one book?”. 

When Marceline wrote it, it was definitely meant in a romantic way. _Did Koutarou mean it in a romantic way?_ Not just in a romantic way, it was as if his words were bound to his very soul.

Bokuto was definitely not the type of person to just say that, then again Bokuto was number one in saying stupid meaningless things. He was a free spirit. Keiji can’t remember a day in his childhood where he had run around just as much as he did when he was with Bokuto. Always chasing each other, laughing, and those weirdly intimate hugs. Keiji always brought food for when he was with Bokuto because he really cared for Bokuto to stay healthy. _Is it normal to care for your friends like that?_ The hugs, the lifting Keiji into the air and spinning around, the care, the desperate need for talking to each other, The many kind-hearted compliments, and the quiet painting sessions. It was obvious and Bokuto was right, Keiji was dense and stupid for not seeing this earlier on. 

_He’s in love with me._

**January 1849**

(Exactly where we left off)

  
  


“Keiji”, a far too familiar voice whispered behind him. And now the tears were back, creeping down his face at a steady pace.

“Koutarou''. He whispered back, as he turned around to see his husband with red cheeks, messy greasy hair, and wet eyes. Keiji closed the distance between them hugging his lover tightly. “I’m so sorry for leaving Kou, I’m so so so so sorry”. 

His throat twisted and Keiji was now whimpering, breathing heavily against Koutarous chest.

“DoOn’t h-h...ate me, Kou” 

Koutarou responded by cupping Keijis face with his hands, they both looked at each other, Kou knew exactly without words what happened to him that night.

_Two hearts in love with no need for words_

“I would never ever ever hate you, gosh Keiji I was soooo concerned, at first I was mad, yes. But I’ve been running around the city thirty times tonight-”. Koutarou was crying just as much as Keiji. “-My heart beats for your happiness, yet I’m the one causing your suffering over and over.”. 

“NO, don’t ever blame yourself, as long as you love me i don’t care”. 

_I_ t was true, all he needed were those stupid eyes to look at him in that way that makes his heart skip a beat.

“I love you more than anything, to the moon and back”. Koutarou said with a smile plastered on his sulking face. 

Above them, the snow had started falling.

“Me too, to the moon and back”.

  
  


**1844 August**

The morning after Keiji realized Bokuto's feelings towards him he himself had a lot to think about, at first it was something along the lines of _How should i avoid him? Should I avoid him? Can he handle it if I don’t like him back? Do I like him back?_

Bokuto meant a lot to him. Keiji often thought that the first day of his life began the day he crashed into a stranger. That he was born for their friendship to happen. That sounded cheesy and unrealistic, but it was what he felt. Even worse, when he got to talk to Bokuto for the first time, he realized that he was indeed blind before they met. The many days they spent till it became dark and then bright again, watching many sunsets together, talking, singing, dancing-. 

“People fall in love all the time Keiji darling”. His mother said as she was stuffing her face with breakfast. She was clearly hungover and maybe even still tipsy. From her nightly _‘cleaning the wine cellar’_

“Don’t play dumb, it’s written all over your face. I’m sure she feels the same way about you. Claudine told me that she has seen you sneak off every day. I promise you I did the same thing when I was your age”.

Gosh, he loved his mother. She was surely not happy with her marriage, but she still tried to make the best of the situation. Those stupid encouraging speeches with Keiji from time to time were a luxury, and he loved that side of his mother. From time to time he would find her crying at night with a bottle of their own wine in her hand. ‘The result of a beautiful happy marriage’. Keiji stared at his mother. I hope she finds her happiness one day.

“Thanks, mother”.

Keiji stood up, as he thought to himself. 

_Perhaps we are like Two volumes of the same book, Bokuto._

  
  


\---

Koutarou wasn’t at the park that day, how stupid. Keiji spent the next 15 minutes searching for the motel Bokuto was staying at. When he finally found it, he asked the receptionist for Bokuto's room and within seconds he stood in front of the door. Knock, knock.

And now a stranger was facing him behind the door. The stranger had unruly messy black hair and was taller than Keiji. “Sorry, wrong door”.

“No, you’re looking For Bo, right?” The stranger said, smirking while leaning against the doorway. He didn’t wear a shirt, making his entire torso naked, Keiji genuinely tried hard not to stare at. “He is still sleeping, long night”.

\---

Bokuto was sleeping loudly inside the room, while waiting for Bokuto to wake up, the stranger started talking. “He was pretty sad last night.”

“I suppose that's my fault for being oblivious”. 

“Who actually knows with him”. The man said, sighing.

-“But he really likes you Keiji Kaashi, so much that he might even love you”. 

Keiji’s body visibly tensed as the stranger's word reached his ears.

_Love, me?_

The man laughed “He's been talking about you a lot, too much actually”.

“I-i think I have feelings for him too”. Keiji’s body was still stiff and he felt his cheeks turn velvet.

“Haha, sure, I’m Tetsuro Kuroo”

“Keiji Akaashi, but I guess you already knew that”.

They both laughed.

  
\---

Bokuto had slept all day, that's why he wasn’t at the park. When he woke up to Keiji and Tetsuro, he had started flipping out and apologizing a thousand times. After that Kuroo left, leaving Keiji and Koutarou alone.

“Why are you here Keiji, Did you miss me that much?”.

Bokuto always asked that question, it was a part of their routine. 

“Yes.”

Bokutos eyes widened as he stared at Keiji sitting in the bed next to him. He then ridiculously wiggles his eyebrows.

_Bokuto is strange, at first glance, he seems like a shallow person, interested only in flashy plays and bored by fussy details,_ besides, that's what Keiji thought about him

_Still, here he is looking me in the eyes like I’m the first human he has ever laid his eyes upon. And that nothing else matters beyond that._

“Say, Yesterday you called me dense, Monsieur Bokuto, the same night you went drinking instead of opening up for me”.

“That's kinda dense too, don't you think”?

“I would rather be hungover for the rest of my life than risking our friendship”. The smile on Bokuto's face had faded, and he was now trying to hide under the duvet.

“Are you afraid of me hating you for being a homosexual?”

Bokuto nodded under his cover. 

“I would never hate you, not even if i tried”. Bokuto looked up from his covers staring at Keiji who was aggressively fiddling with his hands on the edge of the bed.

“Promise”.

“I Promise”.

“Even if i kissed you”.

…

..

“Yes”.

  
  
  
  



	5. Dissolution Of A Monarchy

_The first day of my life begun the day I met you, I keep seeing you in my dreams, first, I was scared, I still am, soon I learned to love you, and as stupid as it sounds you’re the sun to my world._

* * *

1848 a horrible year, not just in France, all of Europe was suffering, and it had just begun. People in the cities were suffering from economic discoloration. Science and technology had taken over many jobs, those jobs that many so desperately needed. Throughout January the protests had grown a lot in Paris. The workers of the city were strongly against the bourgeoisie and elite. They hated starving, while they gained from their suffering. Let alone the forties had been a terrible decade, the harvest all over Europe had been empty and dry, the people were hungry, and not just for food. Even the middle class were on the streets begging for change.

Finally, in February the government listened to the people, they overthrew Louis Phillipe, and dismissed monarchy, along with making a more stable empire, or that’s what everyone thought.

It’s been four months since February. But nothing has changed. None is pleased. It was like the silence before a huge storm or catastrophe. Keiji and his husband decided, in the first week of June, that separating would be a great idea. Not permanently. Keiji would go visit his parents and protect them since Paris wasn’t the only city in France where people had gotten violent. Koutarou would go on the trip he had been talking about, mostly to return to Oudenaarde, but also landscape painting on his way. It’s a long journey for both of them. But they will meet again, in November.

  
  


**8th June**

It’s been two days since Keiji left Paris. He’s still on the road. Everything seems calmer outside of Paris, those smaller villages he had spent the night in, had some kind of uneasiness to them. But nothing like Paris. Paris was the core of the revolution, and it felt like he had been holding his breath these last couple of months. It was obvious that the hunger had hit not just Paris, but everywhere he went, probably the entire continent. He himself can’t remember the last time he had felt full. But thanks to Osamu and Koutarou, he was still alive. Surviving on their support. He missed both of them, he considered Osamu one of his only friends, but the desire to see him over Koutarou was non-existing. He really missed Koutarou. Those lonely nights yarning for his touch, cuddling up together in a tight ball of happiness. 

_November, Until November._

**11th June**

He arrived late at night in Bordeaux. The town had grown the past four years. The streets seemed longer and the buildings stood taller. Before heading towards the rich part of town, he wanted to visit a place that held many happy memories. The park.

Bordeaux had many parks, but it was a special one. A park where the sky was always beautiful, a park where the fireflies will surround you in a myriad, a park with many bushes and trees, apple-trees that will bloom, and fruit beautiful round red apples. 

The park was more of a home than the place he grew up in was.

\---

Keiji’s memory has worsened over the years, or at least that’s what he thought. In front of him stood a boulevard lined with buildings on its sides. No park. Keiji wasn’t dumb enough to walk around the rest of the town to look for a park that didn’t exist anymore. The buildings were barely finished. Standing on what had once been the most beautiful park in all of France. It didn’t have many colorful flowers, yet, those who had decided to remove the park to evolve the town into a city must be inhuman. Now those sweet memories of his husband were only a reality, in that one painting from august 1844, and their minds.

\---

After staying at a familiar motel for the night, Keiji now stood in front of the mansion he could call his childhood home. After knocking at the doors for about 10 minutes, he started to panic.

The servants should have answered. Even if they weren’t at work, the rest of the house should have heard. So Keiji decided to do something out of character, not really he thought. _Not anymore_

Searching for an open window in the giant house was easy. He saw at least seven. most of them were located too high, so he managed to climb through the kitchen window. 

The inside of the house was….Dusty? Unclean, a mess.

He had never experienced a day in his life, where his family would allow something so ‘horrifying’.

The kitchen smelled rotten. As he moved towards the hallway he tripped on dead mice. He didn’t flinch, he was used to seeing something like that from the meager streets in Paris. 

Something was wrong, any idiot would know, just what it was, he didn’t know, so he started searching the house for glues. 

**1844 September**

  
  


The summer might have ended, but it felt nothing like that. The trees still had beautiful green colors, and the sky had not spilled a single drop of rain yet.

Koutarou Bokuto, the man Keiji Akaashi called his boyfriend. 

A handsome one.

One with dangerous yellow eyes and huge shoulders. Those features together with the star-like personality kept visiting Keiji in his dreams. Dreams where he woke up with butterflies eating him from the inside, and a stiff tent under his duvet. Sinful dreams. In those dreams, his boyfriend would do things, Things that Keiji didn’t know a human could do to another human. The extreme idolatry in his dreams wasn’t one-sided. Which he knew because Koutarou was the definition of an open book. He told Keiji everything, everything he thought and dreamed. Yet Keiji wasn’t as brave as he was in his dreams, and his desire towards Koutarous touch remained pristine.

\---

“TODAYY WE. ARE. GOING. BUTTERFLYYY CATCHING”. They were outside the town. Bokuto had dragged Keiji the entire way. At first, Keiji had been annoyed by the idea of traveling that far, just to catch butterflies, but soon he realized that leaving their usual spot in the park wasn’t that bad. 

After hours of goofing around the forest in search of insects and butterflies. They managed to catch a total number of one bumblebee. It was still worth the trip, and they let the creature free.

“Koutarou! there is a valley”. Keiji said as soon as he laid his on the valley beneath him. Bokuto immediately ran up to Keiji searching for the valley. “You’re right, but it’s meadow”. Bokuto said grinning, clearly proud of his knowledge, he stood tall and laughed at Keiji, rolling his eyes.

The ‘meadow’ itself could have been a hiding place for deities. He could imagine himself sitting under one of the fairy-sculpted trees for the rest of his life, living a fairytale life, with dragons floating lowly over the meadow, and pixies unraveling from their hiding spots to sit with him. Every inch of the place was covered in molten-golden flowers, that matched the autumn leaves falling from the trees. A symphony of birds and wind traveled past his ears, as he stared towards the unexplored land. 

“You know Keiji, you're so beautiful”.

Shivers ran down Keiji’s spine as his face burned and turned hellhound-red. Bokuto was staring at him from his side. Those liquid-golden eyes that melt in the sun.

So it was only natural when Keiji sprang into the arms of his boyfriend to hide his face in his chest. The force of the move was so powerful that Bokuto fell backward. Standing on a ledge of a steep hill wasn’t the best idea for losing balance. They both ruled down the hill, still engraved in each other’s arms. “IM SO SORRY KEIJI”.

Bokuto yelled. He was covered in dirt and had twigs sticking to his hair. 

The sight and situation made Keiji laugh. An ugly snorting laugh, which Bokuto joined in on. 

They both didn’t bother to get up. They kept layng in the silk soft grass surrounded by red flowers and buzzing insects. “we should get back before sunset”. Bokuto frowned. “I wish, we could stay here forever”.

“Me too”.

Keiji sat up and stared at his lover. Koutarou was a gorgeous man. His body fit in with the setting of the meadow. Like a God, resting in his hiding spot. Koutarou always managed to look so calm compared to how wild and energetic he was as a person. So, Keiji started plucking the red flowers around him, he braided them. Braiding flowers into crowns was something his sister had learnt him many summers ago. He always envied her skill for being so quick and wavy with her fingers. His own fingers were huge and long, yet he managed to learn the skill of braiding flowers, and now he’s making a crown for his prince. 

“You know, we could just move away”.

The raven-haired avoided looking at Bokuto, while he kept braiding the flowers.

“We both know that’s impossible”.

“Keiji, I can’t stay in Bordeaux forever. I won’t be able to support myself here”.

Keiji looked for the first time in a while at Koutarou, who had a serious expression plastered to his face. “Don’t you think I know that”?

“I can’t leave my family, I have responsibilities, they need me”.

He placed the flower-crown he had braided on top of Koutarous messy locks. “I just can’t leave”. He whispered.

Bokuto himself was now in a seating position plucking flowers. He quickly twisted the peduncle of a golden-red one in the shape of a circle. “We could move to Paris, together”. 

They both laughed, moving to Paris was the dumbest idea he had ever heard.

Keiji looked down at his lap, moving to Paris would be beautiful and exciting in some ways, very Bokuto. But that was not possible.

“If you can’t leave, then please marry me, i can take care of you”.

Next to him, was Koutarou on his knees with a flower-ring between his fingertips. 

_That stupid, stupid, stupid man._

“We met 3 months ago”.

“Best three months of your life, right?”

Koutarou was smiling, he was nervous for sure, but something about the way he acted in a situation like this was captivating, and extremely dangerous for Keiji because he was numb to those moments, and whatever it was about Koutarou, Keiji would always follow him, no matter where he goes. 

“This is so foolish-”.

“-Let's get married, Koutarou”.

  
  
  


**12th June**

Keiji was running through the house searching for signs of life. That was until he stumbled upon a very familiar figure. “Kuroo!” He yelled. Kuroo turned around to look at Keiji. 

“Akaashi, what are you doing here?”. Kuroo was looking very surprised by Keiji’s presence. He had grown a lot. He met Kuroo many years ago, and he was introduced to him as Koutarou’s best friend and ‘brother from another mother’. Keiji knew all of Kuroo’s dirty secrets through many nights of drinking at the bar together. That’s why he considered Kuroo a friend. Together with Koutarou, they were a disaster waiting to happen, but without Koutarou, Kuroo was actually kinda intelligent and he could read people like it was his superpower, at least that’s how he landed a job in Keijis family business.

“Kuroo where are they, did something happen!!!”

Kuroo laughed and patted Keiji on the shoulders.

“You really should read those letters your mother sends you”.

“What do you mean, please are they okay?”.

“You are awfully concerned about, some people you left to die a few years ago”.

He sighed.

-” They’re fine, your father is on an important business trip in Italy, the entire house went with him, they probably don’t even know about all the drama that’s happening right now”.

Keiji visibly relaxed at Kuroo’s words. “Sure, what are you doing in my house Kuroo?”.

“Your house-” He smirked -” I mean you stole my best friend, I stole your father’s heart”.

“Can't Believe I actually thought you would be helpful, when are they returning?”.

“I am always helpful, in a week”.

_A week to mentally prepare myself._

“Where is Koutarou, did he finally get tired of your rudeness?”. Kuroo was still smirking and leaning in way too close for Keiji to be comfortable.

“No, unfortunately, he’s still with me” Keiji fanned his hand with the ring up in front of Kuroo’s face.

“Good, I really love both of you, Tho I’m a bit offended that you haven’t visited”.

-” But that’s fine, looks like we’re going to spend the rest of the week together”. Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows at Keiji, which earned him a gentle slap on the shoulder.

  
  


\---

  
  


Spending the entire week with Kuroo was probably the only reason Keiji didn’t leave the town to chase after Koutarou. Or the only reason he dares to actually stay and not hide in a bush when his family returns, which they did just like Kuroo said, a week later.

They both stood in the doorway as the horse carts rolled up in front of the house. Keiji’s mother was in his arms before he even realized it.

“KEIJI, KEIJI, KEIJI, MY SWEET SON”.

She had tears in his eyes as she gave her son a trillion small kisses on the cheeks.

Next to them, his younger sister hung himself around Keiji’s neck hugging him tightly.

And lastly his father. He didn't hug Keiji. Instead, he stood in front of his son with a stiff face. “Good seeing you again, Keiji”. He then proceeded to walk inside with no further interaction with Keiji. 

That night they had a long family reunion. Kuroo had gone home hours ago, and when he did, Keiji thought he would die in his family’s hands, but he soon learned that that was the furthest from the truth. He had never seen his mother that happy as he did that night. His father remained quiet and avoided looking at his son. But everyone except him seemed to enjoy Keiji’s return. He even got to tell them openly about his husband. Which didn’t seem to bother anyone (Any more at least)

**1845 January**

“I’ve found a priest Blois”. Koutarou had only just woken up when Keiji said it. Which seemed to be the reason he fully woke. “YOU DID, when?”. 

They were both lying in Koutarou’s motel-room bed. Keiji had stayed the night, which he had done a few times. “Can he get us married?”. The last couple of months they had been searching for someone who could help them get married, but that was probably the hardest thing they had ever done. Even though Sodomy had been decriminalized for 54 years, but many people still saw it as being immoral and wrong. That’s why they had kept a secret to everyone except a few of Koutarous friends. 

“Yes”. He answers as he leans in to kiss his fiance. 

  
  


**19th June 1848**

Everyone had gone back to their rooms to sleep. Keiji was sitting in the kitchen staring through the windows. It’s almost 4 years. since he met Kotarou for the first time. 4 years since the first day of his life. He smiles fondly at the memory of how lost he actually was before he met Koutarou.

  
  


“You didn’t have to come back”. 

It’s his father talking. He could barely make out his face in the dark. But he could still see the base and where the darkness grew inside his wrinkles. “Why are you really here”? He inquired, staring at Keiji’s figure.

They both stood in the darkness. Keiji admired his father for many things. But he never loved him, just like his father had never shown any love towards Keiji. “Paris isn’t safe”.

“So you decided to part, and flee back home”. Keiji sighed and nodded unsure if his father even could see him. “Keiji my son, you must know that I love you, but you are not welcome here anymore. You haven’t been welcome, since you ran away with someone more important than us”. 

“I know”.

“Then I expect you to be gone by tomorrow”.

“Yes, father”. 

His father sighed and left the kitchen. Which left Keiji alone in the darkness, with tiny tears falling from his eyes. He felt no anger or hatred towards his father. Because Keiji was the one who left everyone behind many years ago and returned out of nowhere. He had with guarantee made his family the gossip of the town by leaving with another man. He can still remember the look on their faces when he told them of Koutarou for the first time. Disgust, disgust was the only real word to use for describing the look on their faces. He doesn’t dare to imagine the amounts of liquor his mothers injected after he left. He was the sole reason the family became miserable, and it was all because of his selfishness. 

**April 1845**

In April they left for their wedding. Or more like ran away dramatically in the middle of the night while being chased. Koutarou had laughed maniacally the entire time and called it romantic. Keiji didn’t find it romantic at all. When they arrived in Blois they had finally shaken all their chasers off. Which was perfect, now they could get married, like they had promised each other in August. It was spring, and somewhat the most beautiful the world has ever been. Love really does change the way you see the world. Like how he no longer felt captured when he looked at the sky, but instead just wanted to stay grounded. The sky was still his favorite thing, just not number one anymore. 

He had never stayed in Blois before, only rode through, with his father a few times. It was a calm town, it still had that medieval-core vibe to it, but It fitted well to how Keiji had imagined getting married.

“There you go with the overthinking again”. Koutarou was cubbing Keiji’s cheeks with a sad pout. “You have been fidgeting with your fingers for the past hours”.

That’s true. But he wasn’t overthinking just nervous. He was about to get married to ‘The Stranger From The Park’, so nervous described the feeling in his stomach perfectly. 

“Man I’m so excited, this is going to be the greatest time of our lives” Something was off about the way Koutarou said it. HE sounded just as nervous as Keiji felt.

“Are you feeling unobjectionable?”.

Koutarou laughed loudly

“No way, I think I’m dying on the inside”. 

“Me too, Koutarou, Don’t worry about it, it’s normal to feel nervous in this situation”.

That and together with a small kiss on the lips was enough for Koutarou to relax. 

  
  


**22 June 1848**

Keiji is back in Paris. Possibly at the worst time, things are tense, the entire trip home had been tense and weirdly off-putting. On his way home he stayed the night in Blois, where he and Koutarou got married. The town reminded him even more of Koutarou than Bordeaux did. It was hard being apart, and he was counting every day until November. The plan hadn’t been for Keiji to return this early. Koutarou would travel to Oudenaarde and paint for a few months, and Keiji would live with his family, nothing more, just that, and then they would both return, and be back in the apartment on November 1st. 

Yet, here he was, alone in their apartment. It smelled even more moldy than when he left around two weeks ago. Still, it smelled like home a lot more than he wanted to admit. But the emptiness did definitely not feel like home, something was missing, something and probably the most important part. Koutarou Bokuto. 

  
  


\---

For Koutarou Bokuto.

_My dearest Koutarou, I’ve returned from Bordeaux, and am currently writing this letter in our apartment. The city isn’t looking good, I fear for the people and the lives of many. As you most likely already know, the lack of food has only grown bigger during the harvest. Osamu told me people are stealing and threatening each other in their desperate need for survival. To be honest it’s scary._

_Though my returning isn’t a demand for you to return early. No, I’m writing this because I miss you with my entire existence, but also because I have no idea when this will end, probably soon, but gambling with the universe has never been my thing. So, I want you to continue your journey, but meet me again in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, my parents own a cottage there, we can stay in it until we know it’s safe in Paris again._

_so, for now, we’ll meet again at the November ocean._

_With lots of love, from your dearest Keiji Bokuto._

  
  


\---

It was dark outside, and Keiji was exhausted from the trip.

\---

  
  


It was late when Keiji woke up. He tried to go back to sleep, but the loud buzzing from the streets kept him awake.

_Might as well deliver the letter._

\---

Outside was more crowded than expected. The city radiated toxic poison and he envied those who could remember a time where Paris hadn’t been like this. After working for Osamu for a few years, he learned that the many drunken customers had once had a dream to move to the City Of Hope, or something like that. A place where they would no longer be bound to work for landowners in an evil circle of capitalistic behavior, sucking from the hard-working poor. By the many people fleeing the farms, Paris was now filled to the brim with people, with dead dreams, people whose work had been replaced by machines, and now sought the city has an escape and a new start, but that had only evolved into the starvation of thousands, and another thousand that had no idea of to live the life of a metropolitan. It was simply too much, and people were now trapped in between the bars of brick and iron. 

Today People looked angry and ready to storm the non-existing king. He knew why people were mad, and if he had the energy and was in their shoes, he would probably also be standing out here coursing at broken promises. 

He was mid-city on his way to the cheapest postal-delivery service he knew of, when he heard the first gunshots, coming from somewhere on his left. It was the soldiers shooting into the crowds while being attacked by the civilians. 

The bloodshed had begun, and he was trapped in the middle of it.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was boring in length and lacked Bokuaka interaction. But there's going to be more action next chapter!!!
> 
> There's only 1 chapter left, and I'm really excited about what i have planned 😋✌️
> 
> Also, I have no idea if I'm writing the dates correctly in English lol.


End file.
